Granulated sugar is mixed with a minimal amount of water, and is put under pressure. It hardens into a solid piece. Though this is used for showpiece bases, it is less often used because of the time required to produce it, and its lesser aesthetic value. Rock sugar The liquid sugar is blended with a small amount of royal icing. The heat from the sugar causes the air incorporated in the icing to rapidly expand, causing the mixture to grow to several times its original volume. The mixture is quickly poured into a lined dish, and placed into a blast chiller to set. This process produces a sugar mass with the texture of volcanic pumice, the color of which is determined by the color of the sugar syrup. Spun sugar Sugar syrup is made into long extremely thin strands which can be shaped to make things like birds' nests. The sugar is gathered on a fork or a special tool designed for spinning sugar and is flicked in long strokes over succeeding pipes. Uses Sugar sculptures may be used as alternatives to a wedding cake. However they are often much more expensive, as they are made-to-order and very time consuming to create. Sugar people This traditional Chinese art form uses heated, liquid sugar to create three dimensional, often blown figures. It's called "糖人(sugar people)". Japan has the similar tradition, which is called "Amezaiku(飴細工)". The sugar people's candy in China are brownish-yellow, while the ones in Japan are white because they use "sarashi-ame (whitish candy)", which is made by pulling and stretching out the sugar many times until white. Cultural references A Mother Goose nursery rhyme refers to sugar sculpture:Wasn't it funny? hear it all people! Little Tom Thumb has swallowed a steeple! How did he do it? I'll tell you, my son: 'Twas made of white sugar—and easily done! See also Chinese Folk Art Fondant Sugar painting – a two-dimensional style of painting that uses hot sugar syrup to make flat, decorative candies References External links Sugar sculptures: Chef designs 'glass' creations with painstaking skill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 30, 2009 What is Pastillage? Description, how it used, and recipes, Pastry Sampler. Sculpture techniques Sugar ja:飴細工